| This study examined the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). Welfare dependency was defined as the usage of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). However, for welfare recipients, self-sufficiency was operationalized as a paying job which allows a woman to support herself and her family above the official federal poverty line. This exploratory study used qualitative methods to understand the impacts of PRWORA on former rural welfare mothers. The convenience sample (N = 44) was drawn from five counties in northern Florida.; While a goal of welfare reform was to end dependency by creating self-sufficiency, this study implied that few women achieve self-sufficiency. The majority (88.6%) of subjects shifted their dependency to other targets: government, families, men, friends, community, social service agencies, and churches. While, PRWORA was intended to end dependency on the government, it only shifted dependency to other sources for these mothers, ironically often to other government programs. The findings implied that taxpayers have not gained anything with welfare reform.; Although there were several limitations to this study, implications for social workers based on the findings of this research project were explored. Social workers need to advocate for the following: resources to maintain the sources of support for former welfare mothers; increased networking of community resources; the creation of dependency prevention programs; and societal structural changes. These structural changes included creative public transportation, a livable wage, universal healthcare, and an economic development in rural areas. In addition, the education of social workers concerning issues of rural policy was presented. |
